Category: Relationship Enhancment

When I think of marriage, I think of a team who has a goal to win a championship. Every player on a team has to know their role and the position that they play. Roles are important but there are times when the game plan has to change in order to score points, win the game, and reach the desired goals. The role that each team member plays might also have to change because within a marriage and on a team, the goal is more important than the role.

Problems may arise in a relationship or in a marriage, when players are to caught up in the role that they play. For example, sometimes with sports the coach may design a play, a player might reject the play calling, because it’s not what they normally do and it’s not their role. Some players on a team might refuse to even play the game and sit out because they are upset with playing a different role.

Even within a marriage, a husband or wife might reject to do something differently because it’s not considered to be their role. For example, a married couple may decide the husband should stay home to care for the children in order to save money on child care. The husband may change his role at the provider temporary in order to reach financial goals on the team. The husband or wife might reject the idea because they feel that it is not the husband’s role to be a stay at home dad with small children, during the day. The player who rejects the different play that was put into place to score points is the same as a husband or wife refusing to stay at home with the small children to save money. The husband and wife team must realize that the goal is more important than the role.

In order to have a successful marriage, each team player must do what is best for the marriage, team, and household. Zig Ziglar said, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” The action steps in a marriage with goals include role reversal, which means passing the ball to each other, so the team can score points, win the game, and have a successful marriage. Here are some key principles to follow.

Always Have A Teamwork Mentality – Having a teamwork mindset, will ensure the best decisions are made for the whole team. John C. Maxwell says in his book, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, “Good things happen to a team when a player takes the place where he adds the most value. Great things happen when all the players on the team take the role that maximizes their strengths—their talent, skill, and experience.”

Pass The Ball – In order to win, team players must get involved and pass the ball. Stop trying to do everything on your own.

Put Your Ego Aside – Having an ego can stop a team player from seeing another team player’s point of view or considering other options to reach a goal.

Do What Is Best For The Household, Team, and Marriage – Get on the same page, so you can win and reach your marriage goals. This will help to benefit the entire team.

Some people just can’t seem to put down their cell phone and always have to be online. When waking up in the morning, grabbing your cell phone, to go on social media should not be the first task of the day. This type of habit can become addicting and can lead to poor time management.

The feeling of logging on, recording every moment, engaging in entertainment, having stimulating discussions, sharing your opinions, can be the ultimate high. Not to mention, the high of seeking attention when you receive a certain amount of “Likes”. To be honest social media can become apart of your identity and you can start to be a slave to it.

The definition of addiction is “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming” (addiction. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 18, 2018 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/addiction). “Addiction is also characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response” (American Society Of Addiction Medicine, 2011). Social media addiction is similar to drug addiction. Both addictions can be detrimental to the person engaging in that particular behavior. What would a person do without social media? Just the thought of not being able to have access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat or YouTube can make some people feel uneasy. The thought of not having social media can make some people upset. If a person is spending all of their time throughout the day on social media, then they might already be addicted to social media.

I understand social media can be used as a platform to market or promote a business but do not neglect or forget about important tasks that require undivided attention off social media. The neglectfulness of important tasks can lead to a business having a poor reputation. Below are some pointers on how a person can balance their time when it comes to social media:

Points

Monitor Time Spent On Social Media – How much time do you spend on social media and on your cell phone? One way to break free from social media and your cell phone is to back away from it throughout the day. A person might be addicted to social media, if they can’t stay away from it. Log off for a couple hours and focus on your goals, family, and living life.

Take A Break From Social Media – Once in a while, it is a great idea to take a break from social media altogether. For example, try staying off social media all week. Monday through Friday don’t be bothered with social media. Imagine all of the tasks and goals that could be accomplished in a day, if a person was not distracted by social media.

Live In The Moment – Instead of being so quick to post the moment, live in the moment and enjoy the moment. For example, when I go out to restaurants, I look around and sometimes notice two people sitting together and they are both on their cell phones. They are together physically but mentally they are somewhere else. It is impossible to get to know someone better when you’re not focused on them and you’re not in the present moment.

Balance Is The Key – There is nothing wrong with going on social media. Just make sure you are not spending all of your time there. Time is valuable! Make sure your time does not become enslaved by social media addiction but by management and productivity.